Back to School Teacher Week Linky - WHO am I?

I'm excited to link up with Blog Hoppin' for Back to School 2014 blog posts! I may not be able to do all of them - we are not back to school yet and I haven't even been in the classroom so I can't take any new pictures. I am going in on Thursday but right now I am trying to study for the MA MTEL for SEI. Massachusetts teachers you know what I am talking about, right? I do not want to take that RETELL course. Ugh! The test is tomorrow at 4pm. So after I write this post it is buckle-down town!

Each day this week there will be a different themed post. Today's post is all WHO!

1. ME

Well, you know I am Bex and I live in New England. I grew up near Boston and the only time I didn't live in New England is when I studied abroad in college in Cork, Ireland.

I have been teaching for 16 years! I was a reading teacher's aide for a year and ever since then I have taught second grade. I have been in 3 schools but my current school has been where I have worked for 13 years now. Wow.... Unreal.

I also started blogging in 2012 and decided to venture into the world of Teachers Pay Teachers and Teachers Notebook back then. I also have little shops at Buy Sell Teach and Edworld Exchange right now. I have so much fun blogging and sharing ideas, suggestions, inspiration and products with fellow teachers. I did go to the summer TPT conference in Vegas and had such a blast!

Here is one of the collages I previously posted. On the top L that is me and my Adventures in Literacy Land co-author Erin Cobb, and on the top R that is my cousin and I on our balcony! Fancy view!

My newest job I have is as am a Jamberry Nails Independent Consultant. I LOVE IT! I am obsessed a little bit with nail wraps. Check out just some of my jamicures. If you have never tried it please let me send you a sample so you can fall in love. Just click here or on the image in my sidebar. I have so much fun throwing parties and sharing nail wrap fun with everyone!

Plus aren't these custom teacher nail wraps totally cool?! And you can BUY them! Click here to see my blog post about how to hook yourself up with a set!

2. MY FAMILY

I have a small immediate family - one brother. He is a little younger than me. He just bought his own single family house - wow! He has a beautiful friendly cat that I love to visit.

Here we are back in the day and here is Jack the cat!

My mom and I are super close. She is my best friend (well my first best friend) and we have fun together and I can count on her for support of all kinds. She lives about 45 min. from me with her husband. Here we are in the 1980's! No making fun of our hair! And I have a pic from just a few years ago!

Dad lives in our hometown. He is a super huge sports fan. Dad has had a lot of health issues and been very sick but is now doing better. He loves spending time with his kids and his "granddog" and "grandcat".

My "baby" is my Saint Bernard Bailey. If you follow my blog you know he got very sick this June and last summer too and amazingly bounced back. I am lucky! He is sweet, goofy, nervous, and in general a big baby. Little chihuahuas can easily frighten him. Other things that are scary to him: the yeloow sign they post on the lawn after they fertilize it, a lone plastic bag or piece of trash on the street or lawn, the new bushes that were put it, a lone leaf blowing down the street, the squeak of a door... the list goes on! Good thing he is VERY cute!

Bailey as a puppy with my friend Ben. Bailey was about 6 months here. NO I am NOT kidding. On the right, goofy boy.

Adult Bailey's favorite pastime.

3. MY FRIENDS

I am lucky to have a lot of friends and a lot of close friends. I have known some of these girls for 22 years.

My cousin is one of my best friends! Obviously I have known her since I was born - she is a little older than me. I used to get her hand me down clothes! She lives in VA :( but we are able to see each other at least twice a year usually. This year she went with me to Vegas! I also just went down to visit her and her family this past weekend. Her daughter was really really into me! It was cute. Her son and I are birthday buddies. September 12 y'all!

Here is my cousin, me and our brothers goofing around back in the day.

4. THINGS I LOVE

Chocolate Ice Cream (Brigham's) with Jimmies

Vosges chocolate (found out about this in Vegas)

Great TV like the Walking Dead

Terrific bands like The Drive by Truckers, Kings of Leon, and Wilco, but also other artists like Bruno Mars (so talented), Brad Paisley (also talented and clever) and many more!

And finally.. I love sleep! Never can get enough!

Hope you had fun learning about me and stop by for the next post this week!